The Long Term Effects of Chronic Pain

Just another short and sweet, easy to print explanation of what even minor long-term untreated chronic pain can do to a person. A person without any other troubles or illnesses. Most of the issues discussed in this article are less life-ending types of chronic pain, but that just serves to further reinforce the point that any kind of pain if left untreated is unhealthy; it can trigger long-term issues with depression and anxiety, even rewire the brain, and can make it difficult to process even mildly disruptive daily events, such as bad traffic.

That is not nothing.

So many of us are in kinds of pain that are so far beyond this little pamphlet from a pain clinic, but the people around us often are not as aware of the little things that go awry when pain stays for too long and is not recognized and treated. I thought this was kind of a nice review for people who are new to thinking about or dealing with illnesses that involve never-ending agony.

Sorry, ignore me, I’m still not able to get this flare up under control, and it’s starting to scare me when I read about others who had their “Big One” in the onset years of their illness that lasted 6-12 months.

Do. Not. Want.

Even a good day is a fight for every positive thought; every scrap of willpower woven together so tightly just to do normal people tasks, inside my own home. On a good day.

Even minor pain, such as a stubbed toe or a paper cut, is unpleasant but that pain fades relatively quickly. Imagine being in pain that never fades, or that fades only to come back a few hours later. What would that do to a person? This is what people with chronic pain have to deal with every day.

Chronic pain, a diagnosis including arthritis, back pain, and recurring migraines, can have a profound effect on a person’s day to day life when it goes untreated. People dealing with ongoing or long-term pain can become irritable, short-tempered, and impatient, and with good reason. Constant pain raises the focus threshold for basic functioning, which leaves the pained person with a greatly reduced ability to find solutions or workarounds to even relatively mundane problems. Something like a traffic jam, which most people would be mildly annoyed by but ultimately take in stride, could seriously throw off the rhythm of someone who is putting forth so much effort just to get through the day.

After a while, pain wears a person down, draining their energy and sapping their motivation. They sometimes attempt to limit social contact in an effort to reduce stress and to decrease the amount of energy they have to spend reacting to their environment. Eventually, many people with chronic pain develop depression-like symptoms: lack of interpersonal interaction, difficulty concentrating on simple tasks, and the desire to simplify their life as much as possible, which often manifests as seeking isolation and quiet. Sleeping often makes the pain less intrusive, and that combined with the exhaustion that pain induces means that it isn’t uncommon for a person to start sleeping upwards of ten hours a day.

Some recent studies have also shown that chronic pain can actually affect a person’s brain chemistry and even change the wiring of the nervous system. Cells in the spinal cord and brain of a person with chronic pain, especially in the section of the brain that processes emotion, deteriorate more quickly than normal, exacerbating many of the depression-like symptoms. It becomes physically more difficult for people with chronic pain to process multiple things at once and react to ongoing changes in their environment, limiting their ability to focus even more. Sleep also becomes difficult, because the section of the brain that regulates sense-data also regulates the sleep cycle. This regulator becomes smaller from reacting to the pain, making falling asleep more difficult for people with chronic pain.

Untreated pain creates a downward spiral of chronic pain symptoms, so it is always best to treat pain early and avoid chronic pain. This is why multidisciplinary pain clinics should be involved for accurate diagnosis and effective intervention early in the course of a painful illness – as soon as the primary care provider runs out of options that they can do themselves such as physical therapy or medications. However, even if the effects of chronic pain have set in, effective interdisciplinary treatment may significantly reduce the consequences of pain in their lives. There are any number of common treatments, which include exercise, physical therapy, a balanced diet, and prescription pain medication. Ultimately, effective treatment depends on the individual person and the specific source of the pain. One thing is very clear, however: the earlier a person begins effective treatment, the less the pain will affect their day-to-day life.In addition to making some symptoms more profound, the change in brain chemistry can, create new ones, as well. The most pronounced of these are anxiety and depression. After enough recurring pain, the brain rewires itself to anticipate future bouts, which makes patients constantly wary and causes significant anxiety related to pain. Because chronic pain often mimics depression by altering how a person’s brain reacts to discomfort and pain, chronic pain often biologically creates a feeling of hopelessness and makes it more difficult to process future pain in a healthy way. In fact, roughly one third of patients with chronic pain develop depression at some point during their lifetime.

Personally I think that depression statistic should be a lot higher… severe chronic pain almost always manifests some form of depression/anxiety/ptsd, although of course there will always be exceptions.

The number would certainly be higher if stigma against mental illnesses were lessened and people felt free to come to their healthcare practitioners with issues relating to depression without fear of being told to take a pill and get over it, or worse; threat of hospitalization.

Many of us have run the wheel before and we don’t need people mistaking our pain for what it is not, so we keep it mostly inward unless we find someone who really understands the myriad issues surrounding chronic pain, disability, and illness. Bottling it up wouldn’t be such a frequent reaction to stress, depression, and anxiety if we lived with a different cultural attitude toward mental and invisible illnesses.

About Jessi Finds Out Fibro

Hi, and thank you for finding your way to my corner of the web! I'm on a journey to empower myself and hopefully others through shared courage and compassion. I write Finding Out Fibro, a chronic illness and chronic pain awareness blog that is not just about fibromyalgia, as well as a new project making jewelry under the Etsy name Hopeful Spoon. Please check out the shop and share if you can! Thank you for your support!
My other hobbies include defeating ableism anywhere I find it, upcycling old junk into funky awesomeness, raising my voice to erase stigma against invisible illness and mental illness, baking, collecting vintage kitchen ware, sharing body-positive messages, playing around in photoshop, abstract painting (especially in neons and metallics!), advocating for those living with chronic illnesses and mental health challenges, seeking safety and upholding visibility for LGBTQIA individuals living with physical and mental disabilities, researching and testing plant-based remedies for chronic pain, and spending all my spare spoons in my veggie garden.
This is my opportunity to do more than just survive with chronic illness. This is me learning how to live well, even though there is no cure for the war my body is waging on me.

5 responses to “The Long Term Effects of Chronic Pain”

((((hugs)))) I am so sorry to hear you’re still flaring 😦
Are you getting any more benefit from the painkillers yet?
I wish I had something to suggest that you havent tried already, but I know you’re like me and try everything. Heat, sleep and endurance is my recipe for getting through flares and anything that you find can take your mind off it, although I know that’s easier said than done 😦
It will pass. Keep telling yourself that – it will pass. Thinking about you lots ((((hugs))))

I am honestly doing alright compared to many and that is something I should be more grateful for! Thank you for all your loving concern and for checking in so regularly. I’m just laying low until this hematoma starts to heal a little. It will indeed pass. 🙂
((hugs)) dear!

Wow this article really spoke to me. I’ve always thought that my issues with chronic pain had to somewhat be connected to my mental illness diagnosis. Although every time I would suggest something to that effect, most doctors would simply treat me that it was just in my head, wasn’t as bad as I was saying, or simply just ignor or dismiss me all together. As if I couldn’t possibly know what I’m talking about because I’m no prestigious doctor. Which made me doubt myself like I couldn’t or shouldn’t trust what I feel in my own body. Something that also is frustrating. Or they would simply pass the buck referring me to a new doctor who would do as little work as possible with one test then if that one didn’t show anything wrong and that was all. How do I find a doctor who will keep looking to figure out exactly what is wrong and actually work to figure out the best treatment plan? It just seems like a never ending vicious cycle that like you said is completely exhausting. Any addviceI would deeply be appreciated thanks!

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